Pacquiao, Bradley motivated for the rubber match

On April 9, Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley will battle it out once again in their third confrontation at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The two famously fought in 2012 for the first time, in a match many felt was dominated by Pacquiao. However, two of the judges felt differently, awarding the fight to Bradley via split decision.

“I look forward to my battle with Timothy Bradley on April 9 and giving boxing fans a fight they will always remember,” said Pacquiao during their press conference this week. “This fight has a very special meaning to me and I will pour every ounce of my being — physically, emotionally and spiritually — into preparing for Bradley. He has my full attention. I dedicate this fight to my fans and to my countrymen throughout the world who have kept me in their prayers. And as always, I fight to bring glory to the Philippines.”

Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) would go on to get knocked out in his next fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, before taking time off and winning three straight, including the rematch with Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs), which was more one-sided than the first time. Following his win over Chris Algieri, Pacquiao would finally face off against Floyd Mayweather, losing by decision and worsening an injury to his shoulder in the process.

With Pacquiao now fully recovered, trainer Freddy Roach has no doubts that his fighter is ready to go.

“I’ve never needed to light a fire under Manny to get him ready for a fight. He’s a professional,” said Roach. “April 9 will be Manny’s finest hour.”

Bradley meanwhile, would earn a disputed draw against Diego Chaves in his fight after the rematch with Pacquiao, but has also won two straight since, and most felt he deserved the nod against Chaves.

“I have always dedicated myself to who I am on fight night. However on April 9th I will not only have dedicated myself to that but also delivering the performance that everyone has long awaited,” said Bradley.

“I am looking forward to this fight between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley,” added Arum. We will see how much Manny has recovered from shoulder surgery and whether he has been able to retain all of his power. We saw in Tim’s last fight a new, improved Tim Bradley thanks andlargely due to his astute trainer Teddy Atlas. One thing is for sure, this fight will be vastlydifferent from the first two these two warriors have had.”